Branding machine for circular containers



1933- G. A. RACOUILLAT BRANDING MACHINE FOR CIRCULAR CONTAINERS Filed April 15. 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR, l, 4Qa BY /30077 r/Jwfif ATTORNEYS o0 9 p L- L 1 I- H W MHHHMWWIMMMHM Z 1 I 0 5 E H 9 fl ir l 2 J. E vh Q m g i k. L t 4 w 3 k 4 6. 5 4 4 3 G. A. RACOUILLAT 1,935,816

BRANDING MACHINE FOR CIRCULAR CONTAINERS Filed April 15, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 A 3422M? t 60nd ATTORNEYS.

Patented Nov. 21, 1933 PATENT OFFICE BRANDING MACHINE FORCIRCULAR CONTAINERS George A. Racouillat, San Francisco, Calif. Application April 15, 1932. Serial No. 605,461 7 3 Claims.

My invention relates to the printing of appropriate brands upon circular containers.

The object of the invention is to brand con-v To this end my invention consists in a rotating 1 cylinder fitted with a branding element; a'rotatable container carrying member; and means for relatively adjusting said cylinder and member to present the branding element to frictional rotative contact with the container side.

The combinative relation of the several members, together with details of the structure and adjustments will hereinafter be fully. set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, I have shown my machine in its preferred form, though it is to be understood that changes in details of construction and arrangement may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in vthe claimshereunto appended. In the drawings:-- Fig. 1 is an end elevation of the machine. I Fig. 2 is a part plan and part horizontal section on the line 22 of Fig. 1. r Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the machine. Fig. 4 is a section, enlarged, on the line 44 of Fig. 2., r g

1 is the machine frame having rotatably mounted in bearings 2 the shaft 3 of the printing cylinder 4, the rotation of which is here indicated by powerto be led to the pulley 5, Figs. 2 and 3.

The cylinder 4 has detachably fitted upon its surface a branding element 6 of any suitable nature, such for instance, as a metal stamp, and said stamp is adjustable around and lengthwise of the cylinder, and is fixed in the position to which it is adjusted. A simple means of mounting and adjusting it are as follows. In the wall of the cylinder are made a plurality of longitudinal slots '7 disposed in such wise and in such numbers as ,to be available for receiving in any selected location upon the cylinder surface the clips of different sized stamps. In the slots 7 are slidably fitted the clips 8,.the heads 9 of which bear upon the border flanges of the stamps and clamp them firmly upon the cylinder surface, Figs. 1 and 2. The irmer ends of the clips lying within the cylinder, receive nuts 10, by which the .55 clips are tightened. By the removal of the nuts,

the clips may be loosened and the metal stamp released for removal or for change of position. To easily reach the nuts 10, the ends of the cylinder 4 are left open as shown in Fig. 2.

Rising from the top of the frame 1 are the GO standards 11 which carry the inking members. In brackets l2-fixed to the standard tops is carried the ink font l3, and below said font lies the ink-receiving roll 14, the shaft 15 of which is mounted for rotation in the standards 11. Also 05' rotatably mounted in said standards by means of its shaft 16 is the stamp-inker roll 17 which lies below and spaced from the roll 14, its position being such relatively to the rotating cylinder 4 that the branding element or stamp 6 will pass under and in contact with it and thus be kept inked. Rotary motion is imparted to the rolls 14 and 17 by means of a pulley 18 on the cylinder shaft 3, a belt 19 from said pulley to a pulley 20 on the roll shaft 16, a second pulley 21 on said shaft 16, and a belt 22 from said pulley 21 to a pulley 23 on the shaft 15 of the roll 14.

Between the two rolls 14 and 17 in front thereof and in contact therewith is the ink transfer and spreading roll 24, which is mounted for free so frictional rotation on a shaft 25 lengthwise slid able in the standards 11, Fig. 3, which sliding ink-spreading movement is imparted to it by means of an arm 26 which is pivoted to a bracket 27 of the frame 1 at 28, said arm having a stud 29 engaging a cam 30 on the cylinder shaft3, as best seen in Figs. 2 and 3, the upper end of said arm engaging a grooved collar 31 on the end of the slidable shaft 25, Fig. 3. The platen 32; or, as it may also be called, the mandrel, since it functions as both, is shown best in Fig. 4. It is in the form here shown a tapering cylinder with a firm smooth surface, having at its apex end a basket centering pin 33, and at its base end a threaded stub shaft 34 with a nut 35 for the detachable pivotal mounting of the extremity of the lever 36 forming part of the pedal mechanism for swinging said platen to and fro with relation to'the cylinder 4, said platen being thus carried by said lever 36 and freely turnable on the stub shaft 34 as an axis. In case the containers to be branded are not tapered but are straight sided, the platen will conformably be straight sided and its surface relation to the cylinder will be parallel, but when said containers are tapered, as bushel baskets and hampers usually are, the platen will be tapered as here shown, and in such cases the platen axis mustbe carried at such an angle relatively to the cylinder axis that the side of the platen which is approached to the cylinder 1'10 The container to be branded here shown,

, for illustration, as a common form of hamper basket 42 made of staves 43, a bottom 44, head The hamper is slipped ring 45 and hoops 48. upon the platen as clearly shown in Fig. 4, and is accurately fitted and centered thereon so that its staves lie in close contact with the platen surface and are backed thereby to' perfectly resist the pressure of branding. 7

The operation of the machine is as follows:

The particular platen for the baskets to be branded having been'selected, is freely rotatably fitted in the upper end of the lever 36 by means of its stub shaft 34 and is held in position by the nut 35. The basket 42 is then slipped upon the platen.

The cylinder 4 having been fitted with its branding stamp 6, adjusted in position by means of the slidable clamps 8, in accordance with the zone upon the basket selected to receive the brand, is set in'rotation by power led into the machine through the pulley 5, and its stamp is supplied with ink from the font 13. The operator now presses down the treadle 37 and thereby swings the platen-carried basket up to the stamping element 6, said basket turning in unison with stamp, by frictional contact, and thus receiving upon its side and in position desired the predetermined brand.

Upon relieving the treadle, the platen and basket swing away from the cylinder. Then the branded basket is removed from the platen and another substituted for a repetition of the operation. i

For circular containers of different shapes and sizes, such, for-example, as is common in the manufacture of bushel baskets and hamper baskets, corresponding sizes and shapes of platens will be kept on hand, and substitution readily made by fitting them to the end of the carrying lever36.

By means of the stamp fasteners 8 herein shown, the ready substitution of different branding elements is provided for, and such adjustment thereof upon the cylinder easily made to make the impression upon anyportion in the length of the basket as may be desired.

Thus far I have described the machine in. its capacity for branding circular baskets after they are made. For various reasons, however, it may be desired to brand the baskets during theprocess of making.

For making baskets of the type to which my machine has special reference, there are in common use machines of vVarious kinds. One member of such machines is a mandrel, or as it is comshaft, and at its other end a centering pin for ing element 6 to frictional rotative contact with such of the staves on the form 48 as it is intended shall receive the impression.

In either case whether the basket-carrying member be adapted for a complete container or one in its formativestage, the relative adjustment of the cylinder and carrying member has the desired effect of branding the basket upon its side.

I claim: 7 I a l. A branding machine for circular containers comprising a rotating cylinder; a branding'element carried on the cylinder periphery; a platen of circular section for removably receiving the container, said platen having at one end of its axis a stub shaft; a pivoted lever in one end'of which the stub shaft of the platen is detachably journaled to carry said platen and permit its rotation and ready removal for substitution; and means connected to the other end of-said lever for swinging the platen to carry the container to and from frictional rotative contact with the branding element. a

2. A branding machine-for circular containers comprising a rotating cylinder; a brandingelement carried on the cylinder periphery; a platen of circular section for removably receiving the container, said platen having at one end of its axis a stub shaft, and at its other end a centering pin for'the container; a pivoted lever in one end of which the stub shaft of. the platen is journaled to carry said platen for rotation; a nut on the end of said stub shaft to hold the platen on the lever and permit its removal .for substitution; and 120 means connected to the other end of said lever for swinging the platen to carry'the container to and from frictional rotative contact with thebranrling element. I

3. A branding machine for circular containers 135 comprising a rotating cylinder; a branding element carried by the cylinder; aplaten of circular section for removably receiving the container, said platen having at one end of its axis a stub i750 the container; a pivoted lever in one end of which the stub shaft of the platen is journaled to carry said platen for rotation; a nut on the end of said stub shaft to hold the platen on the lever and permit its removal for substitution; means connected to the other end of 1 the lever for swinging the platen to carry the container to and from frictiona1 rotative contact with the branding element; and means for adjusting the position of the branding element upon the cylinder to vary itsarea of 1 10 contact with the container.

GEORGE A. .RACOUILLAT. 

